It is known, according to U.S. Pat. No. 6,726,506 issued on Apr. 27, 2004 and referring to prior art FIGS. 1 and 2, to use a fuse holder 1 mounted to a printed circuit board 2 that holds a fuse 3 in a fuse holder 1. The fuse 3 is used in an electric circuit (not shown) disposed on a printed circuit board 2. The fuse holder 1 includes connecting parts 4 to receive blade terminals 5 in connection with a body 6 of a fuse 3. Connecting parts 4 disposed in the fuse holder 1 are in electrical connection with corresponding contacts 7. Contacts 7 are mounted to a printed circuit board 2 to connect fuse 3 with the electric circuit (not shown). Each blade terminal 5 has a centerline and a corresponding width between the centerlines of the blade terminals 5. The width of the blade terminals 5 of the fuse 3 is the same width between a centerline on each of the contacts 7 mounted to the circuit board 2.
Vehicle electrical/electronic content continues to increase while the packaging for this electrical content continues to decrease requiring smaller fuse devices, or fuse circuit elements to support the increased electrical content. For example, five millimeter fuses will soon be employed in vehicle power distribution systems. These are so called due to a 5 millimeter centerline-to-centerline spacing. Five millimeter fuses may not be commonly available to consumers wanting to replace a blown fuse. Wider fuses, such as 8.2 millimeter fuses, are more generally available.
Therefore, what is needed is reliable fuse adapter that mates a commonly available wider fuse to a narrower fuse spacing.